Home & Garden Home The 8 Best Sustainable Yoga Mats of 2023 Bring a different kind of mindfulness to your yoga practice with these eco-friendly yoga mats. By Neeti Mehra Neeti Mehra Neeti is a freelance writer for Treehugger who covers sustainability and conscious living. She has edited three magazines during her career and she is currently a columnist and is a contributor to a host of publications. Learn about our editorial process Updated January 6, 2023 Share Twitter Pinterest Email Home Green Living Pest Control Natural Cleaning DIY Family Thrift & Minimalism Sustainable Eating We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Courtesy of Manduka Treehugger Tested & Approved Treehugger's top choice for an eco-friendly yoga mat is Manduka's eKO Lite Yoga Mat. The modern-day postural yoga movement as we know it starting shaping up in the 20th century, but the yoga mat is a fairly recent invention. With the practice of yoga becoming more dynamic, the humble rug, the equipment of choice of traditional yogis, has made way for mats. Yoga mats make it more comfortable to perform all kinds of poses. They offer great grip, cushion your body from injury, are simple to clean, and are easily portable. The downside is that a majority of the mats are made from PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride, touted to be one of the most environmentally destructive plastics to have entered our water supply, the air we breathe, and our food chain. Fortunately, PVC mats are making way for more consciously sourced, eco-friendly materials. More sustainable mats are made from materials such as cork, natural rubber, jute, recycled PET bottles, and even recycled wetsuits. Not only trendy, but they’re also environmentally friendly. So, you can slide into a pose blissfully and guilt-free. Below, you'll find the best sustainable yoga mats, according to our materials research and user testing. The Rundown Best Overall: Manduka eKO Lite Yoga Mat at Manduka.com Jump to Review Best Non-Slip: Jade Yoga Harmony Yoga Mat at Amazon Jump to Review Best Extra-Thick: SugaMat Recycled Wetsuit Yoga Mat at Amazon Jump to Review Best Mat and Bag: Hejhej Duo at Hejhej-mats.com Jump to Review Best for Hot Yoga: Yoloha Unity Cork Yoga Mat at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: Gaiam Jute Yoga Mat at Walmart Jump to Review Best Round: Manduka eKO Round Yoga Mat at Manduka.com Jump to Review Best Organic: Brentwood Home Organic Non-Slip Yoga Mat at Avocadogreenmattress.com Jump to Review Best Overall Manduka eKO Lite Yoga Mat 5 Manduka View On Manduka.com View On Zappos Our top pick of mats is Manduka’s grippy, supportive and durable eKO Lite mat that’s made from natural rubber, which hasn’t been harvested from Amazonian forests. It took four years for yoga teachers to design this wonderfully textured mat that’s 99% latex-free, zero waste, chemical-free, and doesn’t contain any PVC. EKO Lite is a versatile sealed-cell mat that doesn’t absorb moisture. Whether hot yoga or vinyasa, you flow through transitions easily without slipping. Weighing 5 pounds, it’s 71 inches long and 0.15 inches thick, and comes in gorgeous marbled hues and solid shades. Moreover, through project:OM, Manduka donates 1% of global sales to empower communities. It also has an expansive mat recycling program, LiveOn. For $10, you can send in any threadbare yoga mat for recycling, irrespective of the brand. Price at time of publish: $84 What Editors Say "This mat has a solid feel, with plenty of grip and just the right amount of cushion. I've been using it for over a year, and I highly recommend it." ~ Margaret Badore, Treehugger Associate Editorial Director Best Non-Slip Jade Yoga Harmony Yoga Mat 4.3 Amazon View On Amazon View On Dick's View On Jadeyoga.com The Harmony Mat offers great traction, making tricky poses a little easier. Great for yoga or pilates, these are Jade’s go-to yoga mats. Made from natural rubber, these 0.2 inch thick mats is among the thicker mats that we tested. They are 99% latex-free and are available in two lengths (68 inches and 74 inches), and two widths (24 inches and 28 inches). Our tester found it to be pleasantly firm, offering plenty of grip and support. However, the new mat did have a lightly rubbery smell, so you may want to wash it before using. Durable, they’re available in more than a dozen fabulous colors, such as Raspberry, Tibetan Orange, Flamingo Pink, Jade Green, and Midnight Blue, adding a pop of joy to your practice. Environmentally committed, the company has partnered with Trees for the Future to plant a tree for every Jade mat sold. To date, over one million trees have been planted through this partnership. Price at time of publish: $85 The 8 Best Sustainable Yoga Mats of 2023 Best Extra-Thick SugaMat Recycled Wetsuit Yoga Mat Amazon View On Amazon View On Sugamats.com Just the right heft without being too weighty, the blackish, charcoal-colored SugaMats are 0.2 inches thick but weigh just under 5 pounds. The thickness offers cushion while being spongy enough to slide into poses without hiccups. The company did extensive research and development to create these high-density mats, which can support advanced poses, such as the side crow or the parshva bakasana. It takes around one wetsuit to make one yoga mat, and the company offers a 10% discount if you donate one. What we love is that the mats are completely recyclable. Also, once you buy one, you’ll be serviced for life. Their Cradle-to-Grave recycling service means when you can send in your worn-out SugaMat, the company will replace it with a spanking new one at no cost. Price at time of publish: $89 Best Mat and Bag Hejhej Duo Hejhej View On Hejhej-mats.com Say hejhej or hello to this lovely duo! We love the German hejhej closed-loop yoga mat made from recycled pre-consumer waste materials and the recycled PET bottle fabric bag combo. With a textured, anti-slip cushioned surface, the mat is nearly 4.5 pounds and is 0.2 inches thick. The bags are available in chalk and grey-aubergine colors, and the mats come in Rather Light and Rather Dark shades. The bag is waterproof, with a zipper made from recycled fishing nets, while the strap doubles up as a yoga belt. The bag is carefully hand-sewn and the biodegradable hemp logo is gently affixed to the mat. Hejhej has partnered with a workplace for people with disabilities, and the package is shipped carbon neutrally. For each mat sold, 1€ is donated to the EarthChild Project. Though pricey, hejhej says its mats can last for more than a decade and the bag for even longer. Once worn out, just ship them back free of charge, and the company will recycle them for you while giving you a 15% discount on your next purchase to boot. Price at time of publish: $230 Best for Hot Yoga Yoloha Unity Cork Yoga Mat Amazon View On Amazon View On Yolohayoga.com The Yoloha Unity Cork yoga mat is perfect for a sweat sesh at your hot yoga class. This rugged mat has an extra thick recycled cork and rubber blended surface, along with cushioned foam support. Our tester noted that it's not too soft and provides good support so you don't feel the hard floor underneath you. Anti-bacterial, durable, and eco-friendly, it doesn’t absorb moisture and dries quickly. So you can ditch rolling out a towel on your mat before your yoga session. It is a generous 0.25 inch thick, and comes in three different sizes. Our 5-foot, 11-inch tester found the 72 x 26 inch mat a bit too short, so if you're on the taller side, be sure to select a larger size. One downside of cork is that it is heavier than other mats, so keep that in mind if you want to travel with your mat. We also like that this product ships in fully recyclable paper and cardboard packaging. If this high-performance mat doesn’t conform to your practice, you can refund or exchange it within 60 days. Price at time of publish: $149 The 7 Best Reusable Water Bottles, According to Our Tests Best Budget Gaiam Performance Jute Yoga Mat Amazon View On Walmart View On Amazon View On Getactv.com Affordable, lightweight, and non-slip, Gaiam’s jute mat is a blend of renewable natural fibre jute and Polymer Environmental Resin. Though PER is a synthetic material, unlike PVC, it biodegrades gradually in a landfill. A compact 68 x 24 inches, it is somewhat on the petite side. The mat is 0.2 inches thick, giving you good support and cushioning. It is non-slip, so you can use it in your hot yoga practice. However, if your skin is very sensitive, the texture can be slightly abrasive. Before use, it’s a good idea to air it out for a day or two to release the distracting but harmless odor. Price at time of publish: $25 Best Round Manduka eQua eKO Round Yoga Mat 4.3 View On Manduka.com A round mat can allow your practice to flow in all directions, offering more support for twisting poses and space for the widest stretches. While none of the round mats we found on the market are as eco-friendly as the other mats on this list, Manduka's round mat is a solid choice. It's base and core are made from natural rubber, but we don't love that the top has a layer of microfiber, a synthetic material that can contribute to microplastic pollution. However, we still think Manduka is doing a lot to minimize its environmental impact, making this mat the best choice if you want a round option. There are a few downsides to a circular mat. First, they can be quite large, so they're not the best thing to shop up with to a crowded yoga class. If you're new to a round mat, note that some people can find the experience a bit disorienting at first, so you might consider a mat with a non-circular pattern that can help you feel positioned. Price at time of publish: $129 Best Organic Brentwood Home Organic Non-Slip Yoga Mat 4.9 Brentwood-home View On Avocadogreenmattress.com View On Brentwoodhome.com For a different approach to a non-slip mat, Brentwood Home's yoga mat has a thick top layer of textured organic cotton, which offers sweat absorption. The bottom is a layer is made from natural latex, to prevent slipping on slick floors. It's a robust 5 millimeters think, and comes in six colors. If you're not sure this style of mat will work for you, there's a 30-day trial period. The mat comes with an impressive resume of third-party verifications—the cotton is Global Organic Textile Standard certified, the latex is Forest Stewardship Council certified, and the whole mat is certified Vegan. Plus, Brentwood Homes works with Climate Neutral to offset its contributions to global warming. Price at time of publish: $159 Final Verdict Popular with Yoga teachers and A-listers alike, we love Manduka’s mats and our pick of eco-friendly mats is its Manduka eKO Lite Yoga Mat 4mm that is grippy, supportive, and durable. We also like the wallet-friendly Gaiam Performance Jute Yoga Mat. What to Consider When Shopping for a Sustainable Yoga Mat Materials When it comes to sustainability, plant-based substances like cork and natural rubber are more eco-friendly materials than plastic PVC or foam. We also like seeing yoga mats that are creatively made from recycled materials, like the SUGA mat that's made from recycled wet suit fabric. Size The majority of yoga mats measure 24 x 68 inches, however, there are many longer and wider mats on the market. As a rule of thumb, if you are taller than 5-foot-9 you’ll want to look for a mat that offers 70 inches or more in length. Thickness The majority of the mats we recommend have a thickness of 0.2 inches. A super thick mat may sound appealing for cushioning pressure points, but there are some reasons why you might want a thinner mat. A mat that is both very think and fairly soft may cause some practitioners to feel wobbly or unstable, particularly in one-foot poses like Tree Pose or Warrior III. Thicker mats also tend to be heavier and a little less portable. Frequently Asked Questions How often should I clean my yoga mat? Experts recommend that you ideally should clean your mat after each yoga session to get rid of the microbes that build up there, especially after a sweaty class or a slick hot yoga practice. But for most people, the frequency varies depending on a host of factors, such as the kind of yoga you practice, the intensity of your sessions, and what the brand recommends for the specific mat you are using. How do I clean my yoga mat? Yoga mats usually come with suggestions of how to clean them. Depending on the kind of materials your mat is made of, the simplest and most effective way is a solution of warm soapy water to wash away the grime and microbes such as fungi and bacteria.An effective DIY solution is to mix equal parts of vinegar and water to which you can add a dash of tea tree oil (too much oil can make your mat slippery). If tea tree oil isn’t a favorite, you can substitute it with any antibacterial essential oil, think eucalyptus, peppermint, or lemongrass. You can also use wipes that are gentle on your skin or special yoga mat cleaning sprays to keep it clean. If it’s a cloth mat, you can even pop it in the washing machine. (Do check the label.)A helpful tip is to let your mat air dry thoroughly before you stash it for safekeeping, as bacteria can breed in moist environments. It is advised to keep mats, especially natural rubber ones, away from the sun as they can fade under harsh rays and become brittle and crumble. Can I recycle an old yoga mat? Yes! You can and you should. Treehugger has covered how you can repurpose your yoga mat after it has reached its raggedy end. Consider making an anti-slip floor runner under rugs, a mouse pad to a bulletin board, and even placemats and coasters. Let your imagination run wild. Why Trust Treehugger Treehugger helps readers embrace a greener lifestyle by making planet-friendly choices. With an eco-friendly yoga mat, you can not only perfect your yoga practice but also reduce your environmental footprint. To make this list, we researched the market and evaluated the sustainability of the materials and manufacturing process of dozens of yoga mats to find the most eco-friendly options. Our editors also tested top products, including testing 17 mats at our lab in New York City. Author Neeti Mehra is a luxury-industry veteran who’s also committed to sustainable, slow, and mindful living. She also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Yoga & Tantra from Jnanapravaha. The Best Organic Socks of 2023